A new Phoenix taking shape for the 52 SUPER SERIES’ Brazilian owner.

Edward de Souza Ramos is the prominent Brazilian owner who has commissioned a new Botin Partners designed TP52 which is under construction at King Marine in Valencia, Spain just now. The boat, the ninth TP52 which the company have built, is well advanced in production, right on schedule for a launch in March prior to her first race series at Palma Vela in Mallorca prior to joining the 52 SUPER SERIES this coming season.

Mr de Souza Ramos has enjoyed success in many different classes over the years, but he admits that the TP52 and the 52 SUPER SERIES has drawn him back into the heat of competitive sailing after he had effectively given up. He is very enthusiastic about his new project:

I hope to test our new boat TP52/Phoenix in the last days of March in Valencia and the to participate at Palma Vela in April as training for the 52 SUPER SERIES Regattas. The TP52 and the 52 SUPER SERIES have always attracted a lot of my attention. It seems to be a boat of a good size and good technology, which means that sailing the boat is going to be a great pleasure. Despite it being a good size boat , it brings with it the feeling of a small boat. I believe that the latest changes with increased spinnaker area, longer bowsprits and genoas will further enhance these qualities.Mr de Souza Ramos

He has a small core group of sailors who have been with Phoenix for years, but it will be an international group:

Our group is new, only a few other sailors sailed with me for many years such as the Brazilians André Fonseca , Sergio Rocha and Ricardo Costa . The others sailors the we are looking for, well we first thought which language we wanted to talk on board and we chose Castilian and because of that our team has the Argentinian tactician Santiago Lange and we are now completing the other positions with some Spaniards, Brazilians and Argentines.Mr de Souza Ramos

A lifetime of sailboat racing will be brought to the 52 programme:

After many years I sailed in Olympic classes and I dedicated myself to IOR / IMS and some ocean monotypes as the Moon30 , FARR 40 and more recently the Soto 40 . Last year after obtaining three good results with the Soto 40 (Punta del Este , Chile and Rolex Ilhabela ) I decided to stop sailing, but after a year I felt I sorely missed it and I decided that while I can I’ll carry on racing and to try to do something in line with what I dream of, a real championship of an evenly matched offshore class and the most spectacular to me, seems to be the TP52 . I know my limitations are really set by work and age, but to be able to participate for me represents a victory in itself.Mr de Souza Ramos

And Gabriel Mariani at King Marine brings us up to date with how the build of Phoenix is going:

The build is progressing well, it is on time and with no problems and that is very important for this kind of project. And so the build, commissioning and the test sailing program should be finished according to initial schedule.

Presently we are finishing the production of the different component parts, so the hull, the deck and structure and the custom deck gear and are ready to put it all together now. Phoenix is set to be ready for final assembly on 27th February with initial test sailing on March 20th 2014Gabriel Mariani, King Marine

A development of 52 champions like Emirates Team New Zealand, Quantum Racing and Azzurra, Mariana explains the changes which represent progressions in the build:

One of the biggest changes in this boat is the deck. The cockpit is bigger so the crew is more comfortable and can work more efficiently. The cabin top, and the design of the ‘piano’ – the pit area – is now much more efficient, removing a significant amount of weight. And of course with all the boats next season, we will see that the bowsprits are almost one metre longer to allow bigger and more powerful spinnakers to be set.

And because the boat is being built towards the 2015 rule, the boat is being spec’d with carbon standing rigging but will sail with some corrector weights to be equalised with the existing boats in 2014m but it is about 200kgs lighter.

Time is always a challenge in the building of race boats construction, but in such a competitive class as the TP52, real the real challenge is always finding advantages in all of the design details, so every part of the boat will work effectively at100%. This season a lot of the investment has been to basically improve systems and to adapt. Deflectors are now permitted. And we have been testing new ceramic materials to reduce rope friction and we are installing new, lighter electrical systems. This is the ninth TP52 we have built.Gabriel Mariani, King Marine

Mariani concludes:

We have improved the CNC modelling over the three generations but the evolution is constant. We are really excited at how the Phoenix is shaping up with regard to weight savings, at the overall geometric precision and accuracy and all of the new on board systems being incorporated in this TP52.Gabriel Mariani, King Marine

Upcoming this week, interview with Botin Partners on the design of the new TP52 Phoenix